The International Emerging Film Talent Foundation (IEFTF) is launching a brand new fund aimed at supporting young filmmakers in a variety of ways, it was announced at the widely attended Arab Cinema Center Awards on May 18.
The brainchild of Marco Orsini, founder of the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA), the new Athens-based funding foundation will offer thousands of euros in grants from external institutions, film industry bodies, festivals and other events, with the goal of aiding emerging filmmakers who face challenges in entering the industry due to demographic, situational, or resource limitations.
“Through IEFTF’s partnership with IEFTA,” said Orsini, “we seek to provide support for unheard and unseen talent, providing opportunity for outstanding emerging creativity, and for them to have the recognition they deserve. We aim to nurture diverse voices and in turn, contribute to the enrichment of the film industry through inclusion of underrepresented perspectives. Our mission is to uphold and support diversity, equity and inclusion within the film industry, through grant-based financial support utilizing film festivals, events and recognized film industry entities.”
Several film festivals have already pledged €10,000 contributions to the fund.
Through IEFTA, the IEFTF has to date presented 42,000€ in prizes and currently supports an annual cash award of 10,000€ given to one of the 32 docs-in-progress from eight presenting partners, who participate in the Marché du Film Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the Cannes Docs program headed by Pierre-Alexis Chevit. This year the IEFTF inaugurated a similar 10,000€ prize for the Best Doc in Development Award at TIDF26 AGORA‘s “Thessaloniki Pitching Forum.”
The new fund will begin supporting numerous other film programs, filmmakers and festivals around the world including the Close Up Pitching Forum with projects from Southwest Asia and North Africa (2,000€ cash prize) and Amman International Film Festival’s Industry Days with a 5,500€ cash prize to the most promising project in development.
Among the programs the fund will be supporting at this year’s Cannes Film Festival is IEFTA’s seventh year collaborating with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency at the Marche du Film, presenting films and programs which help bring awareness and to urge immediate action and long-term responses to the current global humanitarian crisis.
